“Vaping” or the inhalation of vaporized substances using a vaporizer, electronic cigarette, or similar device, has become increasingly popular since its introduction to the market a short time ago. However, known vaporization devices have certain drawbacks, including power source issues, cumbersome form factors, and difficulty functioning in harsh environmental conditions.
Current devices such as vaporizers and electronic cigarettes function via an electrically heated and controlled vaporization element. This allows for a very precise level of control, but forces complete reliance upon electricity, batteries, charging devices, and connectors. Although battery technology continues to improve and evolve, volumetrically batteries can only store a small fraction of the energy stored in most fuels.
Without the ability to function independent of electricity, the user of current technology devices must carry sufficient stored energy, typically in the form of batteries as well as chargers to convert line voltage or power, such as from a car, to a suitable voltage and current to recharge the batteries contained in the device. The result is a cumbersome experience—not only are the devices themselves large and difficult to handle, but they also often require additional proprietary accessories to maintain functionality.
Another noteworthy drawback of the current generation of existing devices is their susceptibility to failure in harsh environmental conditions. For example, the two conditions often most detrimental to proper functioning are wet and very cold conditions. Water can, in many cases, cause permanent damage to the sensitive electrical componentry of electronic devices. Cold can dramatically affect the ability of the battery systems to provide the necessary power for proper vaporization, sometimes rendering the device completely unusable.
In addition, these known devices cannot also be used for smoking (consumption of dried substances via combustion instead of vaporization). Furthermore, known vaporizer devices likewise may be difficult to clean and/or customize.
Accordingly, there are currently no known devices designed for, or which provide for accurate and repeatable vaporization of fluids or other material, such as smoking material, without the use of an integrated heat source and associated control mechanism. What is needed is a device that allows for easy and consistent vaporization of substances for inhalation that has a smaller form-factor, is easy to clean, and addresses the limitations and other issues faced by current vaporization devices without the need for complex controls, circuitry and/or integrated energy storage components.